


Missing You

by Cyriusli, Mossybrows



Category: One Piece
Genre: Fluff and Angst, M/M, ZoSan Month
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-16
Updated: 2017-06-16
Packaged: 2018-11-14 15:56:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11211351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cyriusli/pseuds/Cyriusli, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mossybrows/pseuds/Mossybrows
Summary: Sanji's been back on the Sunny for about a week and holed up in the galley. Zoro's had enough and goes in to investigate.





	Missing You

**Author's Note:**

> Here's one of my trades for Zosan Month 2017. This one is done with Mossy-brows of Tumblr (go say hi). As usual, it's really great to work with her. She's a blast to talk to and we just had a lot of fun during the entire thing! Enjoy this little bit of fluff and angst. I promise it's not too bad.

Sanji’s a whirlwind whenever he moves. He rushes past the crew, only stopping when someone speaks his name. Half the time he still ignores whoever it is calling him, unless it’s Nami, Robin or Chopper. He can’t seem to sit still, smokes more than normal and stays locked in the galley almost all the time.

Sanji’s here, he’s home, but it’s almost like he’s not and Zoro has a hard time accepting that. Sanji is still Sanji, but there is something about the way he walks and the way he talks that tells Zoro there is something he is still working on letting go. Zoro can’t help but wonder if it has something to do with the so-called family that started this all in the first place.

Zoro wants Sanji back— the old Sanji. The Sanji from before he went away, making Luffy and the others go chasing him across the Grand Line. He wants the Sanji who didn’t keep his shoulders tensed all the time. The Sanji who could laugh and get the rest of the crew to join in easily. But, mostly, Zoro wants _his_ Sanji back.

Pushing open the galley door, Zoro steps inside the darkened room. He knows Sanji is in here, the man hasn’t left for days other than to sleep or use the bathroom. Zoro can feel his presence in here, his aura filling the space and bringing a comfort he didn’t know he was missing until Sanji was back.

The light from the sunset falls across the floor, Zoro’s shadow moving to meld with the others as he moves to close the door. For a second, Zoro can see Sanji, sitting at the table with a glass in hand, cigarette held between his fingers as he raises the glass toward his mouth, then Zoro closes the door with a soft click and everything falls dark once more.

Blinking, it takes Zoro a moment for his eyesight to adjust to the dimness around him and he moves to the table as he hears Sanji set his now empty glass onto the table. The small red cherry of his cigarette is bright, raised high so he knows the man is pulling a drag off it and moments later smoke floods the space around the table.

“Sanji.” Zoro speaks as he sits down, both hands flat on the table top as he lowers himself into his seat across from him.

“Zoro.” Sanji answers back, that slight pause with the hint of annoyance to it.

Zoro is honestly itching for a fight. It’s been weeks since he’d been able to spar with the cook and he wants it more desperately than he does just about anything else from Sanji, but he knows he can’t and so he inhales a deep breath to speak.

“Just don’t,” Sanji breathes out and in the shotty glow of the one kitchen light, Zoro can see Sanji pick up the bottle from the table. He can’t read the label, but whatever it is, it's not the wine Sanji usually drinks. It’s strong and the cook is clearly looking to get drunk.

“You don’t even know what I am going to say,” Zoro grumbles back, crossing his arms and slumping back in his chair. He can feel the shift in the air, the subtle hint of anger in Sanji’s person and Zoro knows he needs to choose his words carefully tonight.

“Yes, I do.” Sanji picks up his glass, fingers wrapping around the edge before he picks it up and throws back whatever was in there. Zoro suspects Sanji is doing shots of something really hard and on impulse he snatches the bottle off the table to take a whiff from it.

For once Zoro doesn’t feel like drinking and as the heavy smell of whiskey burns his nose, he knows he needs to keep it away from Sanji. From the weight of the bottle, Zoro can tell Sanji hasn’t drank much and he hopes to keep it that way.

“Oi, oi,” the cook starts and Zoro can hear the husky tone of his voice, already raw from the little bit of drinking he has done. “Give it back, Marimo.”

“You’ve had enough, Cook,” Zoro tries to keep his voice even as he sets the bottle off to the side out of Sanji’s reach. Really, all he would have to do to get it back would be to stand and reach across the table, but Zoro would be lying if he said he wasn’t glad to hear Sanji’s sigh of resignation.

“What do you want? Let’s hear it.” Sanji waves a hand in the air, as if to beckon Zoro to him, but Zoro knows it’s only to get Zoro to keep talking. Sanji rolls his eyes and pulls another drag off his cigarette before he snubs the butt in the overflowing tray, leaning back to cross his arms and cloud the air between them upon exhale.

“I just want to talk—”

“That’s rich,” Sanji interrupts as he snorts a laugh.

“You’ve been home almost a week,” Zoro finishes, ignoring Sanji’s outburst. “And barely said two words to me; to anyone.”

“That’s because I can’t stand your fucking face.” Sanji’s mocking him, Zoro knows it, and he can’t help but want to pick a fight with the other man. Now that Sanji is back, Zoro feels like a vital part of himself has returned and he just wants things to return to normal.

“That’s a bullshit lie and you know it, Sanji.” Zoro snarls, feeling anger flush through him. Snapping his jaw shut, he takes a deep breath and tries to calm back down. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what?” Sanji asks, trying to somehow fake innocence to what it is Zoro is trying to talk about. In the dim light, Zoro can see Sanji cock his head to the side in question.

“Don’t play stupid. Why are you holed up in here, keeping yourself from the crew; from me.”

“Ah.” Sanji nods in understanding and Zoro curses himself for throwing his cards on the table so early. Sanji reaches out, snatching his cigarettes off the table and tapping out a fresh one. Placing it between his lips, he throws the pack onto the table and reaches for his lighter. “The truth of the matter comes out.”

“Why is it so hard for you to believe that I missed you?” Zoro’s done playing, glaring at Sanji as he flicks his lighter, the small flame lighting up his face for a moment before they are submerged in the almost darkness once again.

Things are quiet in the galley as Sanji inhales and holds his lungful of death. Zoro’s patience can only get him so far and he knows he’s just at the edge as he waits. He’d been on that edge when he’d walked into the galley to have this conversation.

“No one missed me.” Sanji breathes out with a sigh, smoke billowing from between his lips as he looks off to the side.

Zoro can feel his heart break at the dejected look on Sanji’s face. He— Sanji seems to truly believe that the crew didn’t miss him. Then— “Luffy went halfway around the Grand Line for your stupid ass.”

“Luffy,” Sanji spits out and Zoro can hear the rage in his voice. It’s the first insight Sanji has given Zoro about how he’s really feeling and Zoro should have known that would be part of it.

“You know why I didn’t go.” Zoro says it quietly, looking to the bottle of whiskey that’s sitting right where Zoro left it. He barely resists the urge to reach out and take a swig, sighing instead as he looks back to Sanji.

“It’s a bullshit excuse,” Sanji points out.

“It was better tha—”

“Than me?” Sanji slams a hand to the table and Zoro jumps, not used to seeing the man use his hands like that. Sanji leans forward in his seat, cigarette dangling dangerously from the corner of his mouth. He’s livid, Zoro can see fire dancing in his one visible eye, but he doesn’t back down from Sanji either.

“No!” Zoro can hear his voice crack as he yells back. Heat flares through him and he jerks in his seat, wanting to stand and fight Sanji. He still wants to, in the worst way, but that wasn’t why he came in here. “Someone— I—”

Lost for words, Zoro looks away. He knows nothing he says to Sanji is going to calm his anger, so he goes with the one things he hopes will at least give him a moment to think of something better. “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry?” Sanji hisses. “You’re _sorry_? Did you really think coming in here after a week with that shitty of an apology would get you anywhere?”

“I didn’t come in here for you to turn this around on me!” Zoro rises to his feet, slamming both hands on the table as he glares at Sanji. Sanji sucks on his cigarette and in the tense silence Zoro can actually hear the paper and tobacco burn as Sanji inhales.

“Then why—” Sanji exhales, pulling the half burnt stick from his mouth. “Why did you come in here?”

Zoro leans forward on his hands, meeting Sanji’s eyes before he reaches out, grabbing the other man by his tie and tugging him across the table for a kiss. Sanji fights him, but Zoro is able to get what he is after. His lips brush the cook’s and he lets Sanji go. “I missed you,” Zoro mumbles out. “I am worried about you and I just want you back.”

“Zoro,” Sanji trails off, all the anger gone from his voice as he raises a hand to press fingers against his own mouth. “I’m right here.”

“No, you’re not.” Zoro shakes his head, wanting Sanji to understand what it is he means. “Yeah, you are standing here in front of me, but you’re somewhere else. You’re home, Sanji, come back to us; to me. You’re different now and I just want the old you back.”

Sanji doesn’t say anything, just looks off to the side and Zoro can tell that he’s finally touched on Sanji’s issue. “I don’t—” Sanji cuts himself off, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply through his nose. “I can’t stop thinking about it. I don’t know how to—”

So that’s it. Sanji’s kept himself locked away from the crew because he doesn’t know how to get back to being his old self. He’s lost and unable to find his way back, despite being surrounded by everything he calls home. And like the rest of them, he’s locked himself away in the one part of the ship he can call his own.

Of course Zoro hasn’t gotten the story from Sanji, no one has, but from what Zoro has managed to discover by talking to Nami, Carrot and yes, even Luffy, Sanji went through some shit on his little adventure. Zoro is still mad he even left in the first place, but he can talk to Sanji about that some other time. He _needs_ Sanji back first in order to even bring it up.

Standing straight, Zoro walks around the table, his steps echoing in the small room and spins Sanji in his chair before crouching between the blond’s legs. Sanji’s got one hand gripping to his hair and he slowly opens his eyes to regard Zoro in confusion as Zoro rests both his forearms on Sanji’s thighs.

“I’m here.” Zoro doesn’t react when Sanji snorts at him, clearly unimpressed with Zoro’s attempt to show Sanji that he’s trying to help. Unphased, Zoro reaches up, pressing his hand to Sanji’s cheek and says it again. Sanji drops his hand to the table with a smack and simply looks at Zoro.

Shifting, Zoro lets his knees hit the floor and leans up as he moves his hand to the nape of Sanji’s neck to pull him into a soft kiss. It’s not something Zoro would normally seek out, but he knows that any attempts to comfort Sanji with their normal aggression would simply result with a kick to the chest. Zoro doesn’t want that and he knows Sanji doesn’t either, not deep down, as Zoro manages this time to press their lips together in a chaste kiss.

Sanji doesn’t pull away, instead tipping his head slightly into the kiss and raising his hand toward Zoro. He can feel Sanji’s fingertips brush against his chin, just barely holding there as they kiss. Nothing too deep, just light pecks and slightly longer presses against one another, until something snaps and the next thing Zoro knows he’s on his back, arms wrapping around Sanji’s shoulders as the blond settles his weight onto Zoro’s groin.

Both of Sanji’s hands slide into Zoro’s hair as Sanji grows frantic, kissing at any part of Zoro’s face he can get at. All Zoro can do is slide one hand back into Sanji’s hair and hug him close. His own eye closes and Zoro can’t help but hug Sanji a little tighter when the other man presses his forehead to Zoro’s and the swordsman feels tears fall against his cheeks. It’s only then that Zoro speaks and it’s only to tell Sanji that it’s okay, he’s home; he’s safe.

Sanji doesn’t say anything, but he doesn’t need to as the grip on Zoro’s hair becomes painful and he chokes back a sob. It’s rare for Sanji to break down like this, but Zoro has a feeling it’s been happening a lot lately and somehow he is glad for the darkness of the room; of the privacy it gives them both, singular and combined. Zoro lays there and lets Sanji work through whatever it is he has to work through, only moving when Sanji finally sits up, hands falling to Zoro’s stomach as Sanji sniffles and tips his head toward the ceiling.

Arms falling to his sides, Zoro stares up at Sanji. He’s a wreck. In the dim light Zoro can see how red his face is, hair messed from where Zoro’s fingers were running through it. Both of his eyes are visible, red and puffy from Sanji crying. Sniffling again, he wipes the back of his hand across his nose and finally looks down to Zoro. The faintest of smiles is playing at the corner of his mouth and Sanji leans down again to press a lingering kiss to Zoro’s forehead.

“Thank you,” Sanji murmurs quietly, lips brushing against Zoro’s skin. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be,” Zoro whispers back. He’s not entirely sure what in the hell is going on at this point, but Sanji probably does and as long as Sanji knows, Zoro is fine with that. The whole point of his coming in here was to help Sanji and if Zoro has done so, even if slightly, then he’s more than fine with whatever the outcome is.

“I’ve been a real asshole, haven’t I?” Sanji pulls away from Zoro, the tips of his stupid fringe tickling Zoro’s nose. Zoro just nods in agreement, turning his head slightly and smiles when he hears Sanji chuckle above him. Worming his arms between Zoro’s shoulders and the floor, Sanji hugs him tightly, burying his nose into Zoro’s neck and inhaling deeply.

It’s familiar, it’s comforting, it’s… home, Zoro realizes as he slides his arms back around Sanji’s shoulders, keeping him close. Sanji hadn’t felt like he was home, had been off this entire time because he’d kept himself from every one of the crew— the people who made this ship feel like home. “Sanji,” Zoro asks, voice barely audible as he turns to kiss Sanji’s hair.

Sanji's voice is muffled. “I’m okay,” he insists, fingers gripping tighter to Zoro’s shirt. “I’m okay.”


End file.
